The Blood Behind Us
by Tmntfanfic
Summary: The apocalypse has begun and for the turtles, that means a race against the clock to find a cure and stop the raising of the dead as soon as possible. But with a rapidly deteriorating world and all fate against them, will they be able to succeed or succumb to the new world?
1. Chapter 1

All was silent at the dawn of July 15th. It was the start of a midsummer day just like any other, or so it would seem. The sewer tunnels below New York City were eerily quiet as they hadn't been running in days. Where were all the people going? So many had left New York over the past few weeks, all in quite a hurry, but the newscasters said nothing of it, other than mentions of "camps" that families could go to if they liked. This morning, the television in the turtles' living room was nothing but a frozen image, replacing the usual news. In bold letters, it read— MAYOR ORDERS IMMEDIATE EVACUATION OF THE CITY—

But none of the citizens would've seen it at this time. All of their electricity cut out days ago, and a majority of them were long gone.

Donnie poured himself another cup of tea, this time slipping a sleeping pill into his mouth. He'd been unable to rest for days…  
After finishing off the mug, he turned the TV off and made his way back to Leo's room, where he'd been staying while all the mysterious events were going on up top.  
Finally, he was able to sleep while enjoying the silence for once.  
-

The eerie silence was broken by the sound of running feet and in the distance, an echoing growl. But whatever it was couldn't get into the lair, surely. Donnie put up traps all over the place, and these mysterious beings that he'd noticed only a few times weren't very intelligent. The turtles had nothing to worry about, well, according to Leo anyway. But he might've just said that to get Donnie to shut up.

The running figure kept at it until he saw the faint light of his friend's home in front of him, like an oasis in the dry desert. These creatures were FAST, and they were right on his tail now. "L–Leonardo!" He called out, desperate for help. He jumped over the four foot wall protecting the lair, but the creatures cleared the wall in seconds. He was running out of energy after having being chased for several miles by these monsters, but he was so close to grabbing a weapon and finishing them off. Why didn't anyone mention that the undead couldn't die without a shot to the head? That would've helped a lot earlier when he'd jabbed his katana into one of the zombies' shoulder, thereby losing his blade.

He darted into the opened dojo, grabbing a sword off the wall and climbed up the tree. Panting heavily, he watched the once-humans look around the room; their blank eyes scanning for him. He gave himself just a moment to relax and study the mysterious undead. One creature knelt to chew on a small dead mouse stuck in a trap, his eyes a lifeless gray and his skin the color of the stormy sea. Blood pooled out of its shoulder, but it showed no pain.

He clung onto his friend's katana, coming up with an escape route. He'd have to be even faster than before. Was it possible? His legs felt like they were made of lead. All he had to do was climb across the branch closest to the door, jump down, and lock it. Simple. He just needed to finish a few more calculations. He had only been here once before and didn't even know if his friends were home.

Usagi wasn't very prepared for a visit today.

His thoughts were distracted by a low growl; obviously he'd been spotted and now had no choice but to _run_.

"Damn it…" He swore, leaping down from the tree in a hurry and fled the dojo, closing the door behind him before they could get to it. They weren't smart enough to know how to open doors, right? Hopefully. There wasn't really enough time to figure that out, anyway.

"Leonardo-san, where ARE you?" He called as he searched each room of the turtles' lair. All empty and pristinely clean. Exhausted, he sheathed his swords and banged on the last of the bedroom doors before bursting in. Sure enough, his two friends were sound asleep, oblivious to all that had been going on over the past few minutes. Donnie looked like he was sleeping peacefully, but Leo must've been waking up already.

"Where have you been, Leonardo? I needed your help… didn't you hear me?" He crossed his arms, secretly relieved to find his friends alive and well.

Leonardo rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, quickly sitting up upon hearing his voice. "Usagi?– it's been a while. What…when did you get here?" Leo tied his mask on, getting out of bed sluggishly. _Did you even knock?_

"Oh, about five minutes ago, actually." Usagi put his hands on his knees to catch his breath. "I've only been chased by two of those monsters for the past four and a half miles. I'm _fine_." There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"Where are they now?" Leo grew more alert, knowing that those things couldn't have gotten into the lair, so they fine for now. He didn't like killing them when he didn't have to. It seemed wrong.

"In your dojo. I closed the door. Your little barricade is nothing against these things; they climbed right over. So… you might want to rethink that one."

"You're _kidding_."

"I don't do that."

Donatello began waking up upon hearing their voices, but he hoped it was just a dream. Besides, when was the last time Miyamoto Usagi had visited the lair? It'd been about two years. And that was during a battle, he wasn't invited or anything.

He rolled over and snuggled into the thin blanket, trying to go back to sleep. But the voices grew louder.

"What do you mean, Mikey hasn't come back yet?" Leo snapped at his friend. "He wasn't supposed to leave the lair!"

"Well I saw him a few hours ago…" Usagi spoke slowly, adjusting his gear as a way to distract himself from Leo's angry glare. "Though he wouldn't speak to me. I assumed you knew. Perhaps he is looking for Raphael..?"

"Nah. Only an idiot would do that. Raph's fine. Him and Casey took April upstate to the farmhouse. He'll be back any day now." Leo spoke with confidence, though it'd been almost two weeks since Raph left to escort their friends.

"Have you… have you not been up there? The streets are covered with these things. Abandoned cars line the streets. The military is gone. Everyone alive is simply GONE, and you should consider leaving too. Your home will soon be overrun."

"Thanks for the input." Leo quipped, staring at the ground. "We are not leaving without the rest of my family."

"Waiting around could only cause more risk." Usagi motioned towards the door. "Take Donatello and just go... I'll wait here for your brothers. I promise."

"No. I wait here, you take Donnie." Leo countered.

Donnie heard his name and knew he couldn't stay silent any longer. "How about you two quit arguing and we all get the hell out of here? Leo, if Raph's out there, odds are he's having a blast and destroying these biters. Mikey couldn't have gotten far. We'll track him down and then we go. That's final. So shape up and get ahold of yourselves, both of you. This isn't the end of the world."

Hmm… wrong words. It appeared to actually be the end of the world, though Donnie refused to believe this. He knew there was a cure, maybe the CDC was working on it right then and soon everything would be normal. Who knows?

Donnie folded the blankets up neatly, keeping his mind busy. "Usagi, since we aren't leaving yet, go take care of those creatures. Thanks. And Leo– get the van ready. We don't need to waste time."

"And what about your sensei?" Usagi asked innocently. Leo practically winced but maintained his composure, staying strong. There was no time for emotions. "He won't be coming with us." Because while mutants couldn't turn into these monsters, getting their faces chewed off by one could definitely kill. Splinter died days ago while walking the sewers. He was ambushed and all that was left of him were his bones and clothes... That's when Donnie put up the wall.

"I'm…I'm sorry Leonardo—" the visitor tried to find words, but what do you say to a grieving man at a time like this? Nothing.

"Just... just get those things out of Splinter's room. Please." Leo faced the wall to fight back tears.

Donnie chewed on his lip, trying not to think too much about the death of his father. They needed to keep going. There wasn't time to stop and grieve, not right now. If Leo couldn't be strong, then Donnie would. He'd find the cure and save them all, surely and avenge his father's death. It's what Splinter would want; for them to stay strong, together, and move on.

"If you two won't go and do what I told you, I WILL!" Donnie snapped suddenly– sick of the silence, really– and threw open the door. He took the sword from Usagi, then waved it around. "Where are you, freaks?! Come take a bite of me, I dare you!" Tears filled his eyes as he edged towards the dojo. So many memories of training with his brothers and Sensei over the years... and all the innocence that was in their hearts at the time filled him with melancholy. How many days ago had Splinter watched his sons train? Was it just two weeks ago when he'd told Donnie how proud he was of him?...

"Just come get me." He whispered, kicking open the door. The half rotted zombies turned their heads, running towards the door to get a bite of the fresh meat. Donnie knew they were once humans. He knew that they might've still been in there somewhere, but it didn't matter now. Until he found a cure, there was no way he could save them. "I'm sorry, okay?" He swung the blade in a swift motion, decapitating both corpses. "I'm sorry."

* * *

Mikey roamed the abandon streets of New York City, raiding several pizza shops along the way. With large headphones in, he seemed to be in his own little world, away from all its problems and just living as if he was a human. And he loved it.  
Mikey slipped into a music store and stuffed a few CDs into his bag that were lying on the counter. "This is so cool... oh my god!" He squealed, running over to a wall of DVDs. "THE FIRST CHRIS BRADFORD MOVIE!" He shouted. He should've been a bit quieter. He wasn't exactly alone in the city. But Mikey just enjoyed being loud.  
"Guess this place is as good as any for a crash spot." He laid his sleeping bag out behind the register, having had no sleep in about three days. After settling down a bit in the nearly empty and abandoned store, Mikey grabbed his phone and called his older brother who never answered. Sure enough, it went straight to voicemail. "Hey Raph. It's me again." Mikey glanced out at the dark streets, shivering. "I wish you'd hurry up and get back. Donnie thinks you're dead but I know better. You're too stubborn to die. So...get back to New York as soon as possible. Or… better yet— stay where you are and I'll come find you the second I steal a car. Just don't get hurt or anything. I'm coming." A sudden bang startled Mikey, but it was just a stray cat, scratching against the door. "Leo and Don won't even notice I left. They haven't left the lair since this stuff started. I doubt they will. Sensei taught us to be brave, but they're not being brave at all. They're weak, that's what." He stood, edging towards the door to let the cat inside. "I saw that hamster guy earlier. Or is he a Guinea pig? I don't know. But he kept trying to follow me. I know he's probably gonna tell Leo I'm out here, but they won't find me, they wouldn't care if I died…" Mikey sighed softly, watching the silent city at night. "It's so quiet now. I feel like I rule the city... I kind of like it like this. I don't really care what happens next; the world can stay dead for all I care. I get to be free now." He leaned down to pet the cat, noticing a zombie running his way. "Shoot... I gotta go. Be safe Raphie..." Mikey shut the door and locked it before hiding behind the register. He avoided these things at all times. It didn't seem right to try and kill them, after all they were still humans! They probably still had feelings too, they were just hungry. This monster was once a young man but now had its intestines hanging out of its belly. It had blond hair and might've been handsome if it wasn't dead. It banged on the glass, growling at Mikey and the cat— the fresh meat driving it insane.

"Hey dude. My name is Mikey. Can you stop doing that? Thanks!" Mikey called, clinging onto the phone.

It roared, slamming its fists on the glass in rage in response.

"Sorry, no one's home!" Mikey shouted at the zombie. And then the worst thing possible happened.

The store's alarm went off. Ear piercing noise filled the air as the glass shattered and the zombie ran inside, running straight for the cat. Mikey covered his ears and made a run for it, right out the front door. He had to get out of there before every walker in New York City decided to snack on his flesh. "Where the heck's that Guinea pig when you need him! Or was it a chipmunk? Help! Help! Someone!" He shrieked, "HE'S GONNA KILL THE CAT! HELP!" While sprinting away, he tripped on some debris and skidded across the pavement . Footsteps headed towards him in a hurry, and a figure hovered over the young turtle. Headlights shone in Mikey's face when he tried to look up.

"I'm a rabbit. Not a Guinea pig. Get it straight." Usagi scooped up the terribly scratched up Michelangelo and carried him back to the van.

"I tried not to hit him but the idiot tripped on his own two feet..." Leo muttered as he slammed on the gas pedal, sending the four of them speeding off into the night towards an unknown destination.

And down on the street now being overrun by walkers, Mikey's phone rung once, twice… three times. A voicemail was left...

* * *

Opening his eyes, Mikey immediately recognized his surroundings and felt himself sigh in relief. He was in the back of the van; his legs wrapped tightly to protect himself in case of any infections. He rubbed his head and stretched his legs out, accidentally kicking Leo's shins. He was also asleep, presumably for the first time in days, but he was restless, frequently tossing and turning. "Where are we going?" He crawled up towards the front seat where Donnie and Usagi were in the middle of a quiet conversation. "You can at least tell me that after you hit me with a car, Fluffy."

Usagi shook his head. "I was not driving… And we saw you trip on your own feet."

"Yeah, thanks for the helpful information, Fuzzball. But seriously, where are we going? We need to find Raph first."

"No time." Donnie opened the map he'd been carrying. "We need to get to Maryland. There's a secret military base in the mountains, and if I'm correct, the president has a pretty secure house there. I doubt he would be staying so close to the populated areas, so if it's abandoned, it just might be a good place for us all to stay until I can whip up a cure for this."

Usagi glanced at Donnie. "You really think you can do this?"

"Yeah. I have to. We can't let this country, this world even– deteriorate. We're going to save it. Even... even if it costs our lives…" Donnie turned and looked at Leo, sighing quietly. "Raph is safe, wherever he is. He's with April and Casey. They'll be fine. But we need to put them aside and fix this before it kills any more of us. So keep moving, Usagi, and don't stop for nothing." He climbed into the backseat, lying beside Leo. "I need to sleep. I have a migraine."

"Yeah, that's what you have." Mikey rolled his eyes at his older brother. "I'll keep watch like the hero I am while you two sit here and snooze. Some heroes."

"Shut up. You've been knocked out for three hours. I don't want to hear it!"

The van's speed rapidly decreased and for a moment Mikey assumed they were stopping for gas or something like that. But a loud noise sounding like a firecracker dismissed that thought. They weren't quite alone on this road... no, not at all. It was blocked off by a group of men behind a barricade made of logs. "Should I turn around?" Usagi asked quietly. He hesitated, studying them. All of the men held rifles pointed towards the van, all looked hostile and ready to kill in a split second. But Usagi knew they were just paranoid humans protecting their properties and families too.

"I guess there's no point trying to run them over." Donnie groaned. "Just turn around. We'll find another way."

"Every highway from here to Mexico is likely blocked off. These backroads are limited, and if they're all covered in Minutemen like this..."

"Then," Donnie's voice rose along with his annoyance at their driver, "next time you run them over. Got it? We're wasting time."

The van turned around in a smooth motion, speeding off in the opposite direction. Mikey peeked out the back window at the mysterious men, nodding to himself. "We need to do something like that!"

* * *

Raph put his phone down after calling his brothers for the umpteenth time and gazed out at the faint light in the distance where the Jones' neighbors were hiding out, as they had been for days.

"Any luck?" April O'Neil peeked out of the kitchen. "I can't imagine why they wouldn't think to come here by now."

"Well, maybe they can't get out of the city." Casey suggested, reloading a gun in case they got any surprise visitors. "Or maybe Leo's keeping them home."

"Knowing him that's exactly what's going on. He's too stubborn." Raph mumbled, pacing the front porch. Why would he put them all at risk like that? Why didn't they just leave the city like everyone else did? Gosh, he was stupid. Dashing their chances of survival, that's what he was doing…

"Or maybe he knows the roadways will be clogged with humans, so he's waiting them out…" Casey looked at his friend. "We can't stay here long. These woods are filled with campers. We leave by Monday, okay?"

April looked down, holding his arm suddenly. "Casey, can I talk to you in the kitchen for a moment?"

Casey nodded, following his girlfriend into the kitchen. He knew she was tense. Hell, they all were. With knowledge that most of their family was dead, yeah, it sucked. And now their friends were lost too... could it get much worse? Well, besides the world ending part, of course.

"Casey, I don't think we should leave. We should make this place secure." April folded her arms, dark brown hair drooping over her shoulders. "Because what if they come here looking for us? It's safer in big groups. You know that."

"And these thugs in the woods count as safety?" He tugged a piece of her dyed hair. He missed the red. "Nah, we'll find someplace better."

"Casey…" She blinked back tears, studying the picture of a lighthouse on the wall. "I don't want to leave right now."

"And why's that, Miss O'Neil..? Because we don't have much of choice. The world is ending!"

April sucked in a breath, calmly walking to the stove to finish breakfast. "We are not going anywhere without them."

"And what if that's not an option?" Casey slapped his palms against the countertop, frustrated. "What if I don't want the only family I have left to be eaten alive?"

April flinched at the sudden raised tone but kept her temper under control with a small smile as she glanced up at him. "They're our family too. And you'll have to drag me out of here before I ever decide to leave without them." The thought of her poor young friends getting torn apart was sickening... terrifying... she tried not to see it but it was too late. They were just eighteen. They didn't deserve this. Hell, they'd been through enough already by just being mutants.

"Set the table, please."

The three companions sat on the front porch after the sun rose and ate the food April prepared. "So, when are we leaving?" Raph clenched onto the little pink glass he was drinking from. "Now, maybe?"

"It's as good of a time as any." Casey swallowed a final bite, shooting a look at April.

"Casey, no." Her voice was stern. "We need to stay here."

"I'm sorry, April. I really am." Casey's smile was incredibly forced. "But Raph and I made our decision, and it's final. The guys will be okay, they're ninjas, remember?"

"They're _children_!" She shot back angrily. "We could be their only hope and you just want to _leave_? How could you?"  
"Look around, April! The dead have risen over the past month, the population is depleting… if we don't find some place safe and soon we're going to die!" Casey slammed his fist down on the table, eyes filled with rage. "Wake up already!"  
"I wish I could…" she mumbled, scooting the chair back before trudging into the woods.  
"And where do you think you're going, Miss?" Casey growled, quickly jogging off after her.

April ignored his calls and continued roaming the now populated forest she'd once fearlessly explored as a child. Now, there was always fear. Fear of being killed, fear of being eaten alive, fear of _Casey_ being eaten alive, and the constant fear that she wouldn't wake up the next morning. April wanted to live a very long life, maybe have children down the road, but thanks to the current situation, it seemed like that would never happen. She felt like she was waiting on death.

Casey waited behind a tree, gun in hand should anyone or anything try to harm her. These woods were growing more and more crowded by the day, and with people, came the undead. They weren't safe. They never would be. But to the almighty Casey Jones, he didn't personally need to be safe.  
He liked a little adventure and was eager to start a new one, as long as April wasn't harmed along the way.

 _To be continued…_

* * *

 ** _Thank you for reading this terrible trash thus far. I will try to update twice a week, but that could change. First chapters are worst chapters for a reason, after all. :)_**

 ** _-Red_**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It'd been a long day, and finally, somewhere in the woods of New York, Usagi stopped the big van, announcing he was exhausted and they were stopping for the night. They pulled off the road and decided to sleep in shifts. They'd been trying to find their way south all day, but every last road was blocked off. It seemed like they'd be trapped forever at this point. Usagi and Mikey got to sleep first, since they'd been up most of the day, and Donnie decided to join Leo while he kept watch.

Leo held his flashlight close to the hood of the van where the pair were currently seated, watching the empty, pollution-free sky. It was a little past midnight on the sixteenth of July.

"It's too quiet..." Leo mumbled, taking a sip of his drink with discontent. He was used to the noise, it comforted him. Silence reminded him that there were many things he couldn't see in those woods; monsters threatening to hurt his family, both human and undead. He moved a little closer to his companion out of paranoia.

Donnie was studying a map, eyes focused. "All major roads in the 30 mile radius are blocked, and most side roads except this one. We have to go back the way we came, find a way north... I– I guess... or we could check this interstate tomorrow, even though we wanted to avoid those-" Donnie buried his face in his hands. "I don't know. Don't ask me."

"You're doing better than any of us, I'll give you that," Leo pat his shoulder. "Don't give up just yet."

"It's just… I don't like seeing the world this way. I want to be able to relax…but in this world? We never can. We will never be safe again."

"But we're going to all be together... and we can fight off whatever comes our way. We've come this far, surely we can keep going." Leo spoke mostly for himself, to reassure his own mind that things were going to be okay.

"Yeah…yeah keep telling yourself that." Donnie shook his head, patting Leo's shell. "I have to pee. I'll be right back."

"Yeah, okay," Leo turned to face the other way, giving him some privacy. "Don't wander off too far."

"Don't worry, Dad! I'll be right back." Donnie waded into the tall grass a bit, shining his light around. Nothing. But anyone who knows anything realizes that during an apocalypse one should never, EVER, be alone, especially at night. He didn't realize that he wasn't alone. Donnie glanced around, shining his light along the field. He knew he was just paranoid.

Right as he zipped up his jeans was when he felt the cold, spindly fingers wrap around his ankle and the dull, toneless gurgle coming from a dead creature's throat. Donnie reached for his knife, but he'd left it in the car. Of course this had to happen to him of all people. "Oh, come on! Leo!" He kicked at the head appearing out of the grass, but the zombified human got on its knees, clawed nails reaching for his legs. This was it. Death for him, certainly had arrived, and all because he didn't have his knife. He pushed it back a final time before giving up.

 _I didn't want to survive anyway…  
_ It climbed to its feet, growling wildly as it leaned in to take a chunk out of Donnie's neck… empty white eyes staring at him with such hunger…

Suddenly, Donnie was thrown backwards, landing with a thud onto the dirt right beside the monster's head. Blood pooled and swirled in circles on the ground, and all was a blur for a brief moment as Donnie stared at the skull. He breathed in and out, quickly growing sick as he rolled onto his side. "Thanks… but I'm gonna be sick…"

"You could've been killed!" Leo exclaimed, sheathing his sword and kneeling to help him up. "Are you okay?" He touched Donnie's bruised cheek, praying for a reassuring answer.

Donnie groaned lightly as he reached for his foot, watching blood trickle out of his wound.

Leo's eyes widened as he grabbed Donnie's shoulders, yanking him to his feet. "Did it bite you?"

Donnie whimpered, turning towards the van. Leo caught his arm. "Donnie. Answer me. Are you bit?"

"No! I'm fine. I swear. Please just…calm down…"He limped back to the hood of the car, resting against it.

"Let me see!" Leo grabbed his ankle, clenching it tightly to inspect it for any abnormalities. Donnie looked away, knowing all he'd sustained was a little scrape from glass on the ground. He wasn't bit. He knew Leo was protective and just let him inspect and clean the wound.

"You should've been more careful. Have a weapon with you at all times, do you understand?" Leo reached into his belt to grab the gauze needed. He wrapped it around Donnie's foot carefully. "And protect your feet. Please."

"Yes Dad."

Leo smacked his thigh lightly, frowning. "I'm serious about this!"  
"Do NOT start yelling at me. It was an accident!" Donnie shot back, hugging his knees.  
"An accident that could've ended your life. I can't watch you die…" Leo trailed off slowly, moving away from him.  
"Leo…"

Their noise had woken up Usagi, who obviously wasn't very happy about it after only having a few minutes of sleep. "What is it now?" He rolled onto his side, watching the two through the open window.

Leo scowled. "Nothing. Go back to sleep. We're going North, to the farmhouse. That's it."

"We NEED to get to Maryland!" Donnie protested, attempting to climb into the front seat to reason with the distraught leader.

"No. What we need? That's to find Raph, April, and Casey and move on as a team. We don't do a thing until then!"

"And THEN what, Leo? We drive around in this hippy bus for the rest of our lives?! We have to STOP THIS!" Donnie shouted with pure fury in his auburn irises. _Would you just listen to me for once_ …?

The van went silent. Leo slipped into the driver's seat, starting the engine. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, inhaled and exhaled several times, then spoke in a calm and ordering tone. "We are going to find them, and then we'll figure it out from there. Now if you don't shut up, you'll alert every biter from here to New Jersey of our location."  
"I'm the only one who knows how to fix this, so if you want to live, you should listen to me and go whichever direction I direct. Got it?" Donnie clung onto his seatbelt, hands still shaking from the minor trauma.

"I have to side with Donatello on this one, sorry…" Usagi mumbled, laying back down. "If you don't do what he says, I'll likely never get any sleep and that won't end well for anyone."

Casey drove down the dark road, feeling the revolver in his back pocket. He'd put headphones in about two hours ago so he wouldn't have to listen to April's complaints and cries for her lost friends. This was what's best. Period. The countryside was so peaceful and beautiful, and maybe if they weren't fleeing for their lives, Casey might've looked out his window and enjoyed the beautiful midsummer scenery.

April was seated beside him, eyes down and heart heavy. Before leaving, she'd left a note on the front porch in hopes the turtles would find it and know that they were gone, but they hadn't stopped caring. Well, at least _she_ didn't.

"Raph, do you honestly think we should be out here on an exposed and unprotected road?" April glanced towards the backseat. "We have no idea where we're going, this is suicide."  
"Would you prefer us to stop and ask for directions, sweetheart?" Raph rolled his eyes in annoyance.  
"Well, that's just another thing you men are terrible at right next to common sense, so no. I'd rather you not."  
"Jones, will you kindly put a muzzle on your missus?!" Raph yanked one of Casey's earphones out.  
"I'll put a muzzle on _you_ if you don't back the hell off my 'missus', sir…" Casey narrowed his eyes, ready to actually throw Raph out of the car. His manners weren't exactly perfect.

"Whoa, slow down Case– I see headlights." Raph dropped the conversation, pointing at the van coming right for them. It illuminated the dark road, traveling at a rapid velocity. Was it another gang of survivors or maybe military? Who knows. Casey slammed on the breaks, causing them to jolt forward and the wheels to screech loudly. "I can't see them." April used her hand to shade her eyes from the bright light as the other car had now stopped as well.

Casey pulled out his gun instinctively, aiming at the car. "Raph, go out there and check it out. I'm about to blow that driver to bits if he doesn't start his van up again…"

"I'm ready to see that." Raph climbed out of the vehicle, newly found rifle aimed and ready to go. The van lights turned off and he heard the sound of a gun cocking, likely aimed at the red masked turtle. Raph squinted and made out some familiar faces, shocked upon seeing his own brother aiming a gun at his head. "You're KIDDING!" Raph's breathing quickened as he lowered his weapon, smile spreading across his face. He ran out into the center of the road, waving his arms. "Stop, you idiots! You wouldn't shoot your own brother, would you?"

Leo lowered the gun in a hurry once he recognized his younger brother and soon enough was face to face with Raph. "What are you doing out here, you idiot?" He hugged Raph tightly, closing his eyes and allowing himself to sigh in relief. "Thank god you're safe." He wasn't hurt. He was alive and well.

Raph pushed him off after a few seconds. "What took you so long, Fearless? Where's Mike?"

"Sound asleep for once and I should ask you the same thing. You guys didn't even bother contacting us, thanks for that." Leo went up to Casey to shake his hand. "It's a no-go, most roads are blocked off. You guys should turn back before it's too late."

Casey took his hat off and swore under his breath upon hearing such disappointing news. "Why'd New York have to be this populated by crazy people? We gotta get out of here."  
"And where do we go?" Donnie spoke up now, resting against the door of the van, keeping a safe distance from the group. "Because I have ideas. And if we have to waste a week trying to get there, so be it."  
"What's he going on about, Leo?" Raphael shot a glare at his nerdy younger sibling who was clearly delirious.  
Leo gave an exasperated sigh. "Donnie here thinks the government's got some secret military base down in Maryland. He said there's gates and a big house and likely a lot ammo nearby. I'm saying it's been destroyed by now, but he won't hear of it."

"I assume you're referring to Camp David." Casey opened his map across the hood of his car, pointing to a location. "It's roughly 60 miles from DC. Probably not too bad as far as biters go but likely highly populated in the areas nearby."  
"How far are we from there?" Donnie asked, leaning over the map.  
"A few hours by the highway. But if we have to keep taking back roads like this, it could take much longer. Could even be suicide going in there." Casey looked at the team leader, then behind him at another passenger. "Who's your friend?"

"That's Usagi. Seemingly harmless but could probably decapitate you in a moment, so be nice." Leo paced around the cars, trying to come to a decision. What if they went back to Massachusetts and barricaded the farmhouse? They could build big walls around the house and scavenge here and there. Perhaps Donnie could develop an irrigation system for the spring, and maybe create blueprints for a new cabin or two? It seemed like a safer, better option as opposed to Camp David, which quite possibly wasn't even abandoned. But, say it was- it just seemed too good to be true.

"We're wasting time. We need to come to a decision, now." April spoke up. "Even if Camp David isn't abandoned, finding more people could be a _good_ thing, and there's got to be other safe places nearby. I say we go there."  
"Have you forgotten we have five mutants? The humans will just kill us. Staying out on the open road is our best option, where we can see any enemies coming from miles away." Raph shot a glance at Leo, who was busy staring at Donnie. Clearly, they were having a mental argument and it wasn't pretty.  
"I vote Camp David for now. Those woods by the farm are just too crowded right now. We can return there later. And remember, we don't have that much gas." Casey climbed back into his car, finished with the topic.

"Camp David sounds like fun!" Mikey called from the van.  
Usagi shrugged. "Doesn't really matter. I feel like wherever we go, we won't be safe. I don't even know what the Camp of David is."  
"Then keep your mouth shut about the subject, dude."

It came down to two more votes. Leo and Donnie had their eyes locked, waiting for the other to speak. It was Donnie who spoke up first, clearing his throat, eyes down on the road. "It's our best shot, Leo. We have to think of the future too… n-not just the present."  
Leo nodded with a facial expression as if he'd been verbally assaulted. "Fine. Let's go in the morning. Don, you and I will be riding with Casey and April in case things go south for them. Raph, you will drive the van. If we're going to do this, we're going in the morning. They're less active then. Get some rest, everyone."

Donnie drifted in and out of sleep with each hour that passed, unable to get comfortable in the back of the van. He missed having a bed already. He missed feeling safe and warm.

And not that having a van loaded with guns and highly skilled martial artists didn't qualify as safe, but… it was a different kind of safety. Things could easily go wrong and he could die in a millisecond. A zombie could crash through the window and bite his neck!  
 _No, think logically. If it came too close, I could hide in my shell until it passed._ He told himself, watching his hands shake while his heart pounded in his chest. Panic attacks were the worst on the road, weren't they? At home, he could take a sleeping pill or a Xanax, but out here all he could do was feel his lungs closing up and pray nobody would wake up from the noise he was making.

Usagi looked awake though, unamused and deep in thought. He debated on whether or not he wanted to stay with the turtles through their little adventure south, because honestly he felt like he'd probably be better off alone. He didn't want to watch them die when the time came. Especially not Leonardo, his best friend since childhood. It would kill him. He looked around the crowded van, trying to center his thoughts. Mikey was asleep in the passenger seat, hugging his seat belt. His snore was so freaking annoying, especially to a rabbit with incredibly good hearing. _Would he shut up already_?

Raph was in the driver's seat, also unconscious but sleeping very quietly. While immobile, he didn't look quite as scary as he did during the day. He appeared to be helpless and more likely huggable. Though Usagi knew better. Raph was pretty coldhearted and cruel at times. He'd learned this during a battle a few years back when Raph was ready to kill an innocent child to get his point across to their enemy. Where was the honor in that?

Of course, Leo protested this. He was the most levelheaded member of the group it would seem, but also the most tenderhearted and gentle, as seen right now as he had just gotten up in attempts to comfort Donnie's quiet cries that he couldn't hide anymore. Yes, Donatello's mind was constantly plagued with fear; fear of death, fear of failure, fear of injuries and heartbreak and losing it all. He never could completely relax unless he'd taken several different pills beforehand. Usagi reminded himself to search for a medicine for him next time they stopped for gas.

"Remember to breathe," Leo spoke softly, pulling Donnie into a tight hold. "Remember that you're safe."  
"We're not safe…" Donnie whined, choking on his words. "I can't breathe…" The air felt incredibly thin now, and Leo noticed Donnie's skin nearly turning blue from lack of oxygen.  
"Then let's open a window. Keep trying…" Leo coaxed him, rolling down the manual window beside their heads. "In and out, Dee…"  
Donnie climbed up, pressing himself against the door, head hanging out the window so he could catch his breath. Air rushed into his lungs, finally…

Donnie gagged, unable to hold back the urge to vomit as he felt as if his stomach turned inside out. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was the zombie trying to kill him; the lifelessness in its gray eyes…  
He felt a hand pressed against the back of his shell and eased himself back into the van, lips quivering. "I- I was going to die today cause I didn't have that stupid knife!" He smacked his hands against his thighs, squeezing his eyes shut as tears trickled down his cheeks. "I'm so _sorry_ … my incompetence could've ruined everything… everything! You should just leave me here before I cause any more trouble."  
"Donnie… don't talk like that. You know it isn't true." Leo gave him a half empty water bottle out of the small cooler they'd kept. "Drink up. You need it."

Donnie took a few sips, scooting closer to the leader. "We're all going to die because of my actions. I can see it now. I'm going to get everyone killed… aren't I? There's probably nothing at Camp David. I'll have wasted all of our gas and ammo just getting down there on a suicide mission. I can't watch you all get eaten alive just because I wanted to try a stupid military base for protection!"  
"Shh..." Leo noticed the mildly upset glare he was given by his friend on the other side of the van, so he took that as a sign that he needed to shut Donnie up. "It's worth a shot. And like April said, maybe we'll find some more survivors. They could help us out."  
"They won't want to help _us_ , we're just freaks." The inventor spat, covering his eyes as if he were a small child afraid of the dark. "We should just let them eat us. It'll do the world a favor."

"Where's the honor in that?" Leo rubbed his shell soothingly, relieved when Donnie finally decided to lay down again, face close to the wall. "Please promise to get some sleep. You're clearly exhausted."  
"Yeah, I will. Sorry for keeping you awake. I'll be fine…" The purple masked turtle murmured, half awake.

"Good… because we've got a long day ahead of us." Leo stared up at the stained ceiling while he listened to Donnie's quiet breaths when he fell asleep again. Maybe Donnie was leading them to their deaths, but they were impending anyway. All Leo knew was that he planned on defending his family to the very end, prepared to sacrifice his life at any given moment.

Usagi tossed him a pillow, relieved that Donnie fell asleep so he could stop putting them all at risk with his noisy cries. "Do you think he's going to be alright, Leonardo-san?" He asked his friend in a concerned tone.  
Leo paused, drawing in a breath. "I hope so. I really hope so."  
"So do I, because if I don't get some sleep soon I'm going to punch somebody in the face."  
"I have one more favor to ask of you, if it wouldn't be too much…"

" _What_ do you want, Leonardo-san?" His voice was dangerously sharp.  
"Can you go ask April and Casey if there's any medicine for him? So… he doesn't have to keep you up any longer." Leo's plea was innocent, but to a sleep deprived man, this was utter annoyance.  
"Why don't _you_ go do it? And while you're at it, take the crying child with you! I'm not getting up one more time for anything tonight!"

Leo sighed quietly and laid back down, quickly falling asleep after dismissing the idea that Donnie would need any medicine that night.  
Donatello wiped his eyes, sitting up. Usagi was asleep, and he knew waking up him resulted in death, waking up Leo resulted in frustration. He had to take care of himself.

Quietly, he slid the van door open and slipped outside, only getting a grunt of protest from the one with impeccable hearing.  
Donnie shut the door, nearly silent as he edged over to April and Casey's car. The door was locked and they were both asleep. Great. Just about ready to give up, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Donatello, let's go for a walk to clear your mind. Maybe we can find you some medicine down the road… I think I saw an empty car about a half mile back." Though exhausted, Usagi was too kindhearted to let Donnie wander in the dark alone, and his conscience overruled his want of sleep. "Let's go find it."  
Donnie nodded, relieved to have some company on the dark night. "Thank you. You really don't have to do this, you know…"

"I kind of do. I couldn't possibly sleep knowing that someone else was suffering. So when you can sleep soundly, so can I…"

Thirty feet away from the vehicles, a human woman clad in black tights lowered her binoculars once the lights in one of the cars went dark again. She did not notice Donnie and Usagi disappear into the woods. "It's about time they shut up," She mumbled, red lips forming into a bright grin. "I think we should give them a proper welcoming into the new world, don't you?" She turned to her group of soldiers. "Raid their vans. If they protest, shoot them. If not, take what you can and go. But whatever you do, do not give them what they want. We need supplies, and they've got a gold mine of them and weakened passengers. This should be an easy operation and I'm not taking any trouble. Understood?"

"Yes, Karai…" A few men chorused in a monotone, eager to get as much supplies as possible and hopefully raise a little hell on the way.

"The purple one was right. They aren't safe. Not… at… all."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Donnie hugged himself, waiting in the middle of the road while Usagi picked the lock on an abandoned car they'd spotted on their walk. "Have you got it yet?"  
"Almost." Usagi finally got the door open, sighing in relief. He unlocked the door. "Check the trunk, I'll look through the front."

Donnie nodded, doing as he was told. "I don't see anything back here except for two unopened sodas, a blanket… pillows… house keys…"

"Do you need something called _serotonin_?" Usagi read off the label on a medicine bottle.  
"That helps people sleep, so yes. You found it?" Donnie closed the trunk, piling its contents onto the ground.  
"Yes. And there's a few left in this bottle. I don't know what it's for." He tossed the bottle at Donnie.  
"Well… that looks like Xanax. I could always use that." Donnie smiled, opening a soda. "Want one?"

"Sure, I've got time to kill." Usagi sat in the front seat, sipping from the soda. "I've got nothing but time these days."  
"I can't say I feel the same," Donnie mumbled, sitting beside him. He swallowed a Xanax. "Do you have a family out there somewhere?"

Usagi's eyes saddened a bit, but he maintained a smile. "No… not anymore." They'd been dead for more years than he could remember, and he hated thinking of it. He pretended as if it never happened; it was easier.  
"What happened to them? Did they ever live on Earth?" Donnie questioned innocently, oblivious to the pained expression on his friend's face.

Usagi turned away, focusing on the trees in the distance. "It doesn't matter now."  
"Oh… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to pry…"

The silence was incredibly awkward.

The turtles didn't even notice the van door open; they were just too exhausted after a long and hot summer day to open their eyes at the sudden sensation of cool, late night air. That, and they were relieved that Donnie finally stopped freaking out.  
It was Raphael who woke up first, the second he heard a stranger's voice outside. He reached for his sais, but they were gone. It must've been stolen… and where was Donnie and Usagi?

"Leonardo…" He whispered sharply, kicking his brother. "Donnie's missing!"  
" _What_?" Leo spoke just a little too loudly, alerting the looters outside. The door slid open roughly once again. Leo spun around, instinctively reaching for his katanas… but they were gone.  
"Sorry to wake you, gentleman. We're just passing through, getting a few things. So now we'll be on our way. Thanks for all the assistance." The woman from the night before waved a sword in front of Mikey's sleeping body as if to threaten them all. "Welcome to the new world."

"Karai…? What are you doing?" Yes, it'd been years, but how could Leo forget what Shredder's daughter looked like? She'd once been beautiful before the Shredder nearly beat her to death, mutilating her face permanently. And here she was again, likely wanting revenge on an unknown vendetta.  
Her smile faded. "We're bored, Leo. I have to give them _something_ to do, and you all looked so… so vulnerable. Don't worry. We didn't take _everything_." Karai glanced around. "Well… pretty much everything. Have a good evening, and good luck. You're certainly going to need it."  
"Where's Donnie? What did you do to him, Karai?" Leo stepped out of the van, ready to kill her.  
"Give our stuff back, Karai." Leo said in a stern tone, standing up outside the van. She shook her head slowly and grinned as if this was the most amusing statement she'd ever heard. "Hmm… I think I dug a knife in his chest about a half mile back."  
Leonardo just started to protest when she threw a smoke bomb, fleeing with her ninjas into the night. With all of their supplies. Food, gas, maps, weapons, _everything_ … Leo sighed loudly, banging on the side of the van with his fist. She had to be lying just to scare him. "Everybody get up! We've got a huge problem and I need help!"

He moved to the smaller car where Casey and April were sleeping and repeated his actions. Five minutes later, everyone stood in a line in the light of the moon. Leo paced back and forth. "We've lost all of our supplies. We may have lost Donnie and Usagi. Who was supposed to be on watch?"  
Mikey stared at the ground, humming nervously because he knew it was probably his turn to watch and he'd fallen asleep during it.  
" _Mikey_. Was it your turn?" Suddenly Leo was in his face, eyes filled with rage. "And you fell asleep? All of our stuff is gone because of you! Donnie could be dead!" He shouted at his youngest brother, showing no restraint as he struck him across the face. Mikey stared off into the distance, mortified. Tears filled his eyes, but he swallowed a sob. "I'll get it back, Leo."

"And how are you going to do that?" Leo's toned softened a great amount. "It's dangerous."

"I'll go with him. We'll get as much as we can back." Usagi spoke up, putting a hand on Mikey's shoulder as him and Donnie appeared out of the woods. "We'll leave at dawn." Honestly, he was only going to protect Michelangelo, knowing that the poor turtle would probably just let himself get captured at this point to stay away from his family and Usagi wouldn't allow that. If anyone died, it would be him, not Mikey.

"Very well." Leo rubbed his jaw and pretended to not notice the glare Donatello was giving him. "See if we have enough gas and take the little car. If not, go by foot. Raph, Casey, you two are going to go on a supply run. There's a country store maybe ten miles from here, right Donnie?"

"Yes…" Donnie gritted his teeth, taking a knife out of his belt and tossed it at Raph. "You'll need something to defend yourselves with." Why did he have to stay? It wasn't fair… He felt better now. It was his fault that Karai's troops raided their supplies. If they hadn't have left…

"I'm not staying here and doing nothing." April crossed her arms, glaring at Leo. "I'm going with Raph and Casey to keep them out of trouble."

"Absolutely not." Leo retorted. "We're not losing anyone. You're staying here to help us set up camp for the day."  
"Right, because that's women's work. Make me stay here and I swear you'll regret it, Leo. I can help. I can keep up with them as well."

"Maybe Leo's right. I mean something could go wrong, and we can't lose you." Casey opened the secret compartment in the trunk of his car, pulling out two hockey sticks and various baseball bats. "But if you insist, you're staying right by me the entire time. Got it?" He tossed a bat at April, then gave one to Leo. "And you. I don't want to see you hit your brother ever again, or _this_ will be in your skull." He waved his bat around. "That clear, Leonardo?"  
"Crystal."

April, Raph and Casey made their way down the hot dirt road and passed around the limited amount of water they were being forced to share. They'd been on the road walking for several hours. The heat was excruciating. "Do we check cars or is that too risky? We could find some keys or hotwire it or somethin'…" Raph glanced at his friend in curiosity.  
"Hmm… well I don't know Raphael. Do you happen to see any cars at the moment?" Casey said in a goofy tone, looking around in wonder.

"Shut up, you idiot. I meant when we do see one. Not everyone disappeared, and even if they've turned they still owned cars at one point, right?" Raph flailed his arms as Casey continued looking around as if a car would appear. "April… would you handle your lover?"

"My _lover_?" April couldn't help but laugh. "I'm not claiming him. He's all yours, Raph." She slid her hand into Casey's grip just to remind him that she was joking.  
"Thanks, but no thanks. My ideal woman has a bit more hair on her head. That buzz cut is a major turnoff, sweetie." Raph pat Casey's head. "Now come on. If we run, we can get there sooner and I don't have to look at your ugly face."

"Seen a mirror lately, circus freak?" Casey gave him a toothy grin. "I'm perfectly content with walking, kiddo. But you're more than welcome to run if that's what your heart desires."

"Nah, don't bring my heart into this." Raph stared ahead at the seemingly endless road. "It's my head that needs to focus."

"Guys…" April pointed towards the forest, tugging Casey's hand. "I think our luck may have changed a bit." Upon walking off the path, a large, strangely abandoned RV was revealed behind an abandoned shed. "Jackpot."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… April. You got a brain or is it all air up there? Karai's been through. Clearly, this is a trap." Raph grabbed her arm, yanking her backwards.

"Watch it, greenie." Casey shoved him off of his girlfriend. "Maybe she's right and you're just paranoid over nothing. We can at least check it out."  
"Are you two _stupid_? How often does a traveler find an RV in mint condition just chilling on the side of the road?" Raph raised his voice several notches. "Exactly… let's go. Now!"

"Raph… think for a second. This hasn't been going on for that long. The world isn't quite finished… someone probably left this here a while ago. Maybe they live in these woods. There's no harm in seeing what we can find, now is there? We're going to die in this heat if we don't find water and food soon." April said timidly, wandering towards the vehicle. "If anything's in there, we'll find out in a second with all the noise you two were making." She tugged on the door, pulling it open and sending a puff of dust into her face. "See? It's been here for a while." April stepped inside, leaving the two bickering men outside. They only stopped arguing when they heard a muffled scream coming from the back of the RV. Their eyes met. As if the same unit, Raph and Casey burst into the RV, weapons ready to destroy anyone or anything who thought they could harm their April. But what they found was quite different. Just two corpses in the back bedroom, dried up blood pooling onto the sheets.

A mother and small child with gunshot wounds to the head, and a message written in blood on the sheets. **s**

The smell was abysmal and it took all Casey had to not get sick. Clearly, they'd been dead for at least two weeks. It looked like a murder suicide type case, unfortunately. The mother gave up all hope and killed her child, then herself. How terrible…

Raph shook his head, unmoved. He went to the front of the RV and sure enough found a pair of keys under the seat. "Case, search this thing and see what we got. Then we're taking this back to Don and Leo. April, you were right for once. Let's go."

Donnie took a final sip of his portion of water before turning up the stereo to ward off his anxious thoughts. He watched Leo stretch from the window with no real interest in what exactly his leader was preparing for. Did it matter exactly? Probably not. But it was fun to watch.

 _"_ _Don't worry_

 _About a thing_

 _Cause every little thing_

 _Is gonna be alright."_

"This isn't exactly stretching music," Leo mumbled, moving into a center split. "Try something a bit more exhilarating."  
"Hey, I'm the DJ, not you. And besides, this is the only tape in here. Keep stretching." Donnie opened one of the few books he'd packed with little to no thought on just why he'd brought them in the first place. He needed _something_ to do. Today's book was an easy, dumbed down version of _The War of the Worlds_ by H.G. Wells.

He turned to a random page in hopes something would catch his eye, so he wouldn't have to watch Leo continue doing his weird poses.

 **I drew back from the edge of the pit, staring, still unable to tear my eyes away from the many tentacles that were now projecting from this grayish mass. Horror showed on every face around me as most of the people turned and ran.**

Donnie paused, thinking back to when the creature grabbed his leg the night before and shivered. He didn't want to think about it too much.

 **I stood petrified, still staring as a big grayish round bulk about the size of a bear rose out of the cylinder. As the last rays of the sun hit it, it glistened like wet leather. Two large, dark colored eyes stared back at me-**

Donnie shut the book quickly and closed his eyes. All he could think of was the zombie who'd tried to gnaw his foot off, how it very well could've if Leo hadn't have stepped in and saved his life. Donnie was nothing like Mr. Wells in his book; he wasn't brave enough to defend himself, he never had been. He'd fought all sorts of creatures in the past, so why on Earth was this situation any different?

"What's your favorite part in that book, anyway?" Leo pushed himself into a handstand, watching Donnie turn upside down. "Cause I always liked the part where the idiotic humans didn't take the warnings seriously. Reminds me of what happened a few weeks ago."

Donnie shook his head, staring at the blue-clad turtle. "I suppose I like the ending when he gets reunited with his wife. That's the only nice part, actually. I love a good happy ending that makes sense."  
"I knew it," Leo smiled up at him, "that's just like you to want a logical, satisfying ending."

"It's how I'd like my actual life to end too…" Donnie quipped, tucking his book into the glovebox. "To settle down with my soulmate and live a quiet, sensible life." A life that wouldn't happen unless he figured out a cure for all of this, he should add.  
"Your soulmate, huh? Bet they'd like that very much." Leo walked over to the side of the van, leaning against the door. "It's too hot out here. Turn the AC on in there." He climbed in through the side, nearly bumping heads with Donnie.

"Sure, but not for long. It's going to rain, so surely it'll cool down out there. I have buckets to collect rainwater, so I'll need your help with that. Don't get too comfortable in here."  
"Aw, what a shame. I was about to say the same to you." Leo laid back, fanning himself with a thin book. " _Recipes For Outdoor Cooking_? Why on Earth would you have a book like this in your possession?"

"There's a lot you don't know about me," Donnie smiled gently, focusing his gaze on the road in front of them. He noticed some nearby bushes rustling, and his grip on the arm rest tightened. "But that doesn't matter. You don't need to know me."  
Suddenly, he felt as if his heart stopped… he knew they weren't alone when he heard that low pitched growl coming from the woods…. "L-Leo…" His voice squeaked as he pointed towards the treeline. They were coming. One, two, three… five… ten… fifteen zombies toddled out of the forest. Was it a trap set by Karai? Probably. But this was bad news for turtles who only had one baseball bat as a weapon.  
"Turn the car off and get back here." Leo said in a low tone, locking all the doors and rolling windows up. This wasn't good.  
Donnie covered his mouth, yanked the key out and hurried into the back of the van, heart practically exploding with fear. "They've found us!... we're going to die, oh no… no this is my fault I'm so sorry it's all my fault I shouldn't have gone off in the first place and…"  
"Donnie, shut up. They'll hear us." Leo yanked him into a laying position. "Don't move. Don't talk."  
Donnie's chest heaved with every breath he took. _We're going to die._

The two turtles remained perfectly still and silent as the horde mindlessly wandered around their van, curious about what this strange object might be. Thanks to the blinds, the zombies couldn't possibly see the terrapins outstretched behind the bench seat. One of these creatures peeked through the front window, tapping on the glass with a deteriorated finger. Donnie whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, but it did no good. Leo covered his mouth with one hand and grabbed Donnie's wrist with the other. He mouthed the words _do not move._ Donatello's entire body was covered in a nervous sweat now, but he did as told and didn't make a peep. For a while, it seemed as if the horde would just be on their way, but while the beings were mindless, they had a keen scent of smell and likely picked up the scent of the turtles ages ago. They knew something was in that van and wouldn't stop until they took a bite of the food.

A zombie picked up Leo's bat off of the grass and swung it around aimlessly, smacking the windshield loudly. Donnie jumped, feeling ready to faint. But he couldn't move. Not just yet. _Remember, get in your shell when they get too close. It can't bite through that. You'll be safe. You are safe. Leo says you're safe._

Another swing and the glass started to crack, just a smidge. A few other walkers made their way towards the van, banging their fists and slamming their bodies against the glass. They were still strong, still full of superhuman-like energy. The van began to shake. If those things could tip it over, it meant the end for Donnie and Leo.

Leo grabbed onto the seatbelt above his head as the left tires lifted up slightly with another nudge by the zombies. There had to be at least twenty of them out there, starving and ready for a kill. Donnie squeezed his eyes shut again, starting to hyperventilate as he shifted slightly to cling onto Leo. What would Mr. Wells from _The War of the Worlds_ do? Probably run for his life. Donnie glanced at the back door, unoccupied by their unwanted guests. But they probably couldn't outrun these creatures in broad daylight. They were much faster and would kill them in seconds, so… fleeing out the back door wasn't an option.

 _Thwack_! Another hit to the windshield. It was close to shattering. The van nearly tipped this time around… "Leo… we could go through the windshield when it tips over. The baseball one would've fallen off by then."  
"That's suicide." Leo whispered harshly. "Be quiet and do what I say."

"But I really think it could work!" Donnie whispered back, glancing around quickly. "Why won't you trust me?"

"Donnie… we're staying here. Everything's going to be okay."  
"We could be killed. Just… follow _my_ lead for once." Donnie touched his arm.

"No. It's my call, and we're staying. Now be quiet." Leo grabbed his hand in case Donnie tried to escape. "Trust _me_."  
"I can't… I can't say that I do…" Donnie pulled his hand free just as the windshield glass shattered and the van tipped simultaneously. He rapidly pushed himself into his shell, remaining perfectly silent in the darkness. He felt the zombies poke at his shell, he felt one of them sink its teeth into his plastron. Donnie chewed on his lip, trying not to freak out. _They can't hurt you in here._

Leo trembled in the dark space, unconcerned for his own wellbeing. He should've protected Donnie, but once again, he failed. His promises of protection were always empty. He couldn't do a thing for him. HE was the one that deserved to die after all of this… and if those zombies didn't step away from Donnie, Leo would pop out of his shell and let the beasts have at it with his own flesh. It was what he deserved, after all he'd done to his family over the past few weeks. They wanted safety, and he'd given them the exact opposite of that. When Donnie had started sleeping in Leo's room after the outbreak began, it reminded him of when they were young and if one of his little brothers had a nightmare, he'd rush to their side and cuddle them until their unseen demons disappeared. But now? He couldn't say, _It's not real, it's just a dream, go back to sleep…_ because it was all very real, him and his closest teammate were facing death and it was all Leo's fault.

Donnie felt one of the creatures take a bite out of his plastron and it took all his strength to not cry out in pain. He couldn't believe that this was how he was going to die… while his family was out there taking care of business, him and Leo had become damsels in distress in desperate need of a hero. But if Leo had just _listened_ to him and fled out the window while they had a chance, none of this would've happened.

Tears sprung up and Donnie chewed on his lip to remain calm. This was it… and he never even got the chance to make the cure…

The sound of a loud vehicle rolling in their direction distracted Donnie's thoughts. Maybe it was another traveler, or maybe it was Karai seeing if the job had been done. Either way, Donnie knew there still wasn't any hope… until he heard Raph and Casey's voices and the sudden popping sound outside the tipped van. Were they shooting off firecrackers?

Donnie quickly realized that they must've found guns, and powerful ones at that. One by one, zombies began falling onto his shell, dead once again thanks to his friends. He survived somehow, though he was terribly injured and didn't even know if Leo had survived it.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Hours later on the freshly cleaned bus, Donnie woke up again. They weren't driving at the moment, so Donnie had no idea where they were or what was going on. His plastron was wrapped up tightly as well as his head, though Donnie had no memory of injuring his skull during all of the attacks.

Peeking out the window, he noticed that they were no longer near the forest, but on a highway. Stopped. Why?

Donnie swallowed the tablespoon of water left in the bottle on the bed, then sat up. "Guys? Is anyone in here?" What if they all got eaten, or worse, what if Karai had showed up to finish what she started? Donnie could see it now; all his friends covered in blood outside the RV, dying with the glimmer of hope that he'd wake up and save them before it was too late. But maybe it wasn't too late, if Donnie could muster up the courage to find them. Or, perhaps this was Karai's RV and she was waiting for him right outside at that very moment and it was all a trap.

The bed was very comfortable surprisingly, with clean white sheets and a seemingly new comforter. If it wasn't the end of the world and all, Donnie definitely would've stayed in bed and tried to sleep more. His bed at home was nothing more than a flat has-been mattress. He felt like a king in this bed.

Donnie got out of bed, clutching his plastron in pain. His head swirled upon standing; he hadn't been ready for that just yet. Donnie held onto the wooden doorframe, peeking out into the main area of the RV. A breakfast table with two bench-seats, a couch and a reclining chair. Upon further investigation, he found the couch was pull-out and the booths folded down to create a bed when the table was pushed down. That meant there was probably enough sleeping space for all of them, and they could likely all ride together to get to Camp David. That is, if they were all still alive.

The keys were taken from the front seat, but it was raining outside so Donnie didn't want to go out and find his family. Why would they be out in the rain like that? They died. That's it. That's what happened. He sat down on the reclining chair, holding back tears for the tenth time today. How could he survive on his own? He was weak and injured and probably didn't even have any food. This wasn't fair. He wanted to save the world!

And he still could. All he had to do was hotwire the RV and find his way to Maryland. He could use the GPS, get there, capture a zombie, study it and find the cure in no time, alone or not. Even though he'd probably be sad the entire time…

The door opened suddenly, revealing Casey and April carrying large boxes filled with food and medicine. "Hey, Donnie! Glad to see you're awake!" They were soaking wet and likely had been walking for quite a distance.  
Donnie sighed in relief. "Why didn't you all tell me you were leaving? I nearly had a heart attack. I thought you were dead…"

"Why didn't Leo tell you? Thought he was supposed to… he's on the roof after all." Casey began putting the food away in the cabinets above the stove.  
"The _roof_? Why?" Donnie staggered out of the vehicle, shading his eyes to try and see Leo. "Leonardo! What are you _doing_ up there?" He shouted.

"Someone had to keep watch," Leo leaned down a little. "Glad to see you're okay, but you should get back inside so you don't catch a cold."  
"Well, what about you? You're more likely to than I am!" Donnie protested, folding his arms. "Get down from there and come inside."  
"Not until Mikey and Usagi get back. If the storm kicks up, I will come in. I promise." Leo was clearly lying through that smile of his. "Don't worry about me."

"I do worry about you. You know that." Donnie drew in a shallow breath, feeling a bit faint. "This… this really hurts." He leaned against the side of the RV, puffing breaths. His face felt incredibly hot as he struggled for each breath. This pain felt like constantly living with a broken bone and having nothing to stall the agony. Donnie sucked in another breath, stumbling back towards the stairs. "Guess I need… some water…?"

Leo noticed the change of tone, it alarmed him. He knew what having a cracked shell felt like, and it was probably one of the worst pains one can fathom. He didn't want Donnie to experience it for longer than he had to. Leo climbed down from the roof and was soon by the inventor's side, helping him into the RV. "April, get him some ibuprofen, please. Casey, take the rest of my shift, would you?"

"Why? I'm not doing your chores just so you can watch him." Casey was shut up by the look April gave him. She wasn't having the protest.  
April pushed the table down and pulled the cushions out of the booths to make the bed appear. "Here, you two rest here. The ibuprofen is in the top cabinet, Leo. I'm going to go help Casey out so he's not lonely. We'll let you know of any changes."

Leo nodded as a thanks, then turned to the one who was injured. "You've got to fight the pain. Don't let it consume you." He reached into the cabinet, grabbing the pill bottle. He poured two pills into Donnie's hand, then gave him a water bottle. "These probably won't help your plastron, but it should help your head."

"I didn't hit my head…" Donnie felt the wrapping around his skull. "Did I?"

"Yeah, you did actually. On the way to the RV after the horde, Raph and Casey dropped you. We don't think you have a concussion but it left quite a mark." Leo showed slight guilt with this statement. "I should've listened to you when you told me to go through the windshield. Maybe it would've worked…"

"No, it was a stupid idea." Donnie mused, turning to face the window. "Forget it. Where are we anyway?"

"On a highway heading towards Camp David. Just like you wanted. Why'd you choose that one anyway? There are plenty of military bases."

Donnie smiled gently. "I'm glad you asked. You see, Camp David is in the mountains, which means a lower population. It's fenced. The woods are filled with game and space for crops in the spring. There's also plenty of rivers nearby and a lake that we could probably drink from if we purify the water. The best part is, being that it's a military base, perhaps we can get some sort of information about all that's going on. People were told to go to major cities, they have camps there. So as of right now, barely anyone should be in those woods."

"Clever. What do we do when we get there?" Leo hugged his knees, rocking back and forth.  
"We make it livable, divide the house into living quarters, and well… try to save the world while we still have the chance. I'm _going_ to save the world, Leo. I'm not giving up on this." Donnie said in a determined voice, despite being injured and stuck on a highway many miles from his destination.

"I know you will." Leo pat his shoulder, watching Donnie's expression change a little bit. "That's just like you to save the world at the last minute. You never cease to amaze me."

"Don't talk like that," Donnie scrunched up under the blanket, staring out the window, "you know how I feel..."

"But before... you said..." Leo stammered with his words, clearly uncomfortable.

"I know what I said. But that was before, not now. I have a mission to complete and I can't let anything get in the way of that. Nothing that happened in the past counts now. Sorry." Donnie swallowed the words he wanted to add onto that, leaving an awkward silence in the air.

April's boots splashed through the rainwater on the ground as she circled the RV, trying to keep her mind busy. "Casey, do you think they'll be okay out there? They've been gone for a really long time now." She looked at the highway. They'd left a note at the overturned van, saying for Mikey and Usagi to meet them at the RV as soon as possible.

"Don't worry about them. Well… yeah, just don't. Usagi wouldn't let anything happen to Mikey because he's all about honor and sacrifice. They probably just had engine trouble." Casey swung his bat around boredly. "But I hate to be coverin' Leo's shift just so he can fuss over Don. He can manage himself without a babysitter."  
"You let them be. Have you forgotten how it is to be young or have you never lost your entire family to an outbreak of the undead? They're just kids, Casey. They're going to protect each other and fuss and whatever. You'd do the same for me, wouldn't you?"

"Of _course_ I would. But that's different, April." Casey walked over to her. "Because I will never let anything happen to you."  
April's cheeks flushed as she met his eyes. "Really? Then you're a better person than you try to let on, Jones." She straightened the collar for his jacket, smiling slightly. "Try showing that nice side to the turtles, they'd like to get to know him."

"Nah… he's just for you. Don't you be telling them I've gone soft, or Raph will never take me seriously again."  
"Doesn't matter, really. You're the only friend he's got and he won't let you go just because you've got a soft side. I promise." April hugged his arm. "But you better stop trying to get into dangerous situations just to show off. I don't want to bury you. So just… be yourself, okay?"  
"I left myself back in New York, Miss O'Neil, and until this whole storm blows over my life is on hold." Casey sighed, frustrated with the world. "I had plans for the future. I was going to marry you if you can believe that." He scoffed. "And now because the dead want to rise, I can't even get you a ring. Unbelievable."  
April wrapped her arms around his neck, blushing terribly. "Well… a proposal would be nice." She leaned in, closing the gap between them.

Raph watched the pair from the edge of the woods, frowning to himself. "Of all people… why did I have to get stuck with you two…"

"Oh, shut up Raph!" Casey grumbled. "Just because you're a jerk doesn't mean you have to constantly remind us."

"Don't tell me what to do, Jones. You're not anything superior, so do _not_ give me the pleasure of knocking you off that high horse of yours." Raphael opened the RV door with annoyance, entirely serious about what he'd said.

But cocky, airheaded Casey just didn't know when to call it quits. "I'd like to see you try, turtle! You may be a mutant, but you're nothing special and you most certainly have nothing compared to-"

It all happened so fast. Raph just lost his temper, that's all, but the damage was done too quickly to be blamed on temper. Leo and Donnie heard the RV door slam shut and a loud shout from their hotheaded teammate. Something was slammed against the side of the RV, so hard that it shook slightly, and then it was all silent.

"Leo... what was that?" Donnie squeezed his eyes shut with firm belief it was another zombie. Images of the van being tipped over and countless creatures smashing through the window filled his mind, completely paralyzing him in fear. "What _was_ that, Leo?!" He repeated, a bit louder.

Leo stood up, peeking out the window above the kitchen sink. He swore under his breath before turning around. "Donnie... I'm so sorry to make you do this, but you're going to have to get a hold of yourself. We need a doctor and you're all we've got. It seems that the wonderful turtle called Raphael has nearly bashed Casey's brain in."

" _What_?" Donnie stood up too fast, nearly crashing into the counter before luckily being caught. "What happened?"

"Raph's dead. Well... he will be when I'm done with him." Leo stormed out of the RV, not too surprised at the sight of an unconscious Casey Jones, and a certain guilty turtle leaning against the RV. "Raphael..." Leo's voice was stern and cold.

"Yeah, you can lecture me later, Fearless! He asked for it!" Raph turned away, grabbing his sais. He stomped off into the woods, cutting back branches and bushes as he passed them, so fast Leo didn't have time to respond before he was already gone. Leo shook his head, kneeling by Casey. He definitely broke a few things...  
_

Meanwhile...

"I've been through a lot in my life but this _by far_ is the most idiotic circumstance I've ever endured." Usagi tugged at the shackles around his wrists. "Why'd you have to go find that stupid comic book and get us caught? We had everything we came for, Michelangelo!"

Mikey spit out blood, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "So, I'm not allowed to have any fun on the road? I just wanted one comic!"

"And then the entire stack fell over, alerting the Foot! You do realize they're going to kill us now, do you not?"

"Look man, I'll get us out of this. Chill out!"

"That's not something I do when I'm facing death because of someone's pure ignorance." Usagi bit at the chains. "There's likely no way out of this, but I want you to escape and learn your lesson for next time you try to ruin everything."

"You sound just like Leo, you know that?" Mikey looked around the dirt floored room they'd been stuck in for a few hours, somewhere down the road a ways. They hadn't even seen Karai yet. She was obviously busy with much more important affairs than a rabbit and a turtle breaking into her new lair.

"Your brother is a very honorable young man. You should follow in his footsteps." Usagi said softly, thinking back to when he first met Leo. Leo was a good kid who shared his toys and comforted those who were sick or injured. He would never have allowed a situation like the current one to unfold; he would've found a way back by now.  
"As if I give a flying saucer about honor. Honor, honor, honor, is that all you people care about? Cause sometimes, you have to do things that _aren't_ considered honorable and you can't wet yourself or cry over it, you just have to _do it_ and not ask questions!" Mikey stood up and strode over to the small window, peeking out at the dusty road in front of him. Empty, except for the car they'd arrived in.

"What are you getting at, Michelangelo?"

"Call me Mikey. And… I'm saying, when Karai gets in here, we kill her. Clean and simple. Then we can take the keys and get the heck out of here. Don't you want to live, fluffy?" Mikey scowled.

"There is no honor in killing. We get her to surrender and free us. We don't kill the living…" Usagi stated in clear disagreement to Mikey's plot for freedom.

"God, you're even _worse_ than Leo! You know what, I'm getting out of here myself and I'm not taking you with me. People like you die in this new world. You have to learn to adapt and play by the new rules, and that's kill or be killed." Mikey crawled towards the main door, fiddling at the lock with his chained hands.

"What hope for the future is there if we all kill one another? There's always a peaceful solution, we just cannot see it yet." Usagi closed his eyes, struggling to free his hands.  
"Whatever. Suit yourself."

"Do you think your _father_ would approve of this, Mikey? What would he say if he was here right now?" Usagi shot at him. "He'd agree with me, right?"

"No," Mikey walked over to the sitting cellmate. "He'd tell you to shut up." He kicked Usagi in the gut. "So stay quiet or I'll kill you too! I swear!"

"Get a hold of yourself, Michelangelo!"  
"OR else what, you'll throw your honor at me? I'm _so_ scared, fluffball!"

Karai stood at the door in amusement upon watching her prisoners bicker. She was taking a liking to Michelangelo's actions. If he continued to behave, well… she'd release him. But not Usagi. She'd always wanted to see what a rabbit looked like getting torn to bits. "Hello, boys," She stepped in, waving a revolver around as if to silence them with it, "I'd like to talk with you two for a moment."  
Mikey clammed up, wide eyed. He didn't plan on Karai having a weapon. How could he kill her now without getting shot in the process?  
"As you both know, stealing from my clan is very dishonorable. I'm ashamed of you both."  
"You are the one who stole from us," Usagi muttered as he glanced up at her.  
"I suppose I may have borrowed a few things, but I didn't _steal_. Anyway…" Karai turned to Mikey. "Your actions today have both amused and pleased me. I'm setting you and you only free because I don't have the time to deal with you."

Mikey gasped. "Me? Are you being serious?" She was proven correct when she unlocked Mikey's chains, motioning him towards the door. "Please go, take your car and good luck."  
"But what about him? He didn't do anything." Mikey looked at his sort of friend. "Can't he come too?"

"Sadly, no. I'm practical, not kind. Gotta let my men have a little fun with his corpse, you know... Now go." She pushed Mikey out the door, following behind for a moment before slipping into one of the rooms.

"Something just isn't right." Mikey looked around in suspicion. Every door was closed and locked except for the front entrance. So why wasn't he making a run for it? "Usagi, I don't care what that witch said, you're coming with me." He called down the hallway.

"No, she won't let me. Just go while you still have the chance, go get help, okay? I'll be fine until then."

Mikey chewed on his lip, heading towards the door when he noticed he wasn't alone anymore. A pair of eyes stared back at him. Grayish, lifeless skin, torn up intestines and rotted teeth accompanied by an inhuman snarl edged towards him. So it had been a trap after all.

"Aw man! Zombie!" Mikey screamed, bolting down the dark hallway towards his friend. "Dude, shut the door shut the door shut the door it's coming!" The creature was on Mikey's tail, attempting to scratch his arms. " _Usagi, help me_!" And then, a terrible thought came into Mikey's head. He didn't want to go through with it, but it appeared to be the only way he could live. He ran directly into the prison cell, letting the walker follow him. And then… once it was in, Mikey ran back out, closing the door.

All Mikey knew was that experiencing the walker take a bite out of someone firsthand was going to give him nightmares for many months. Bright red blood gushed out of Usagi's arm as he tried not to cry out in pain. "Michelangelo… _open the_ door!" Usagi kicked the creature away, trying to get the door open. He could see Mikey through the small window. "Mikey!"

But Mikey just froze. He'd never be able to escape with a severely injured and bitten person following behind. He stared into Usagi's eyes for a brief moment, then started walking backwards, away from the door. "Sorry... I'm sorry…"

The last Mikey saw of him was when blood shot onto the glass and he knew Usagi was probably dead, and if not, he soon would be. He was in shock. He got in the car and drove as fast as he could back to the van, and soon after; the highway. The rain made it hard to see the road, but he didn't care. Usagi's blood was on his hands. He could've saved him, but he did nothing because Mikey cared more about his own life. He was afraid of dying.

 _Fear will be your enemy_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Leo took the dire news the hardest. With word that his best friend had "sacrificed himself" so Mikey could live, he should've been joyful. But instead, all he could do was feel angry at his little brother for causing the death in the first place. Something about his story just didn't add up, and it bothered Leo for many, many nights.

The first night however, he was much too busy caring for Donnie's injuries to solve the death of his friend. Mikey stayed in the reclining chair of the RV all evening, nodding to himself as if to convince his mind that he'd done absolutely nothing wrong. But every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was the blood shooting onto the window when he'd abandoned his friend. Usagi couldn't have survived with those shackles on his wrists and a bite to the arm. The bite killed people. Everyone knew that. And who knows what it would do to mutants?

Donnie had been under the weather and refused to leave the back of the RV once he found out Usagi died. The turtle had an intense fear of the undead now and didn't want to see another zombie ever again. Of course, he knew it would happen eventually. That was inevitable.

Late in the evening after Mikey returned, the mood in the RV worsened drastically as Casey- a highly valuable member of the team- was out with a pretty bad concussion. He hadn't woken up yet and it was hard for Donnie to take care of him when he was ill himself.

Raph stayed outside and it was unclear if he was ashamed or proud of his actions against Casey Jones. Nobody bothered to ask him about it.

"Dinner's just about ready," April said incredibly softly, turning the burner on the stove off. "Leo, will you set the table for us, please?"

Leo nodded gently, obeying the highly upset woman. "You know Donnie's going to do whatever he can to help Casey, right?"

"Yes, of course, but how much can he possibly do for him with his current condition? Donnie isn't stable enough; we need a _real_ doctor." April lamented, fighting back tears for the tenth time that day. "There has to be one in one of those camps… maybe I should take Casey…"

"April, you shouldn't make that kind of decision at a time like this. You need to clear your head. Besides, there's no guarantee these camps are even running still. You're better off with us." Leo poured a few drinks, then rested them on the little table.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, Leo, until Raph threw my boyfriend into a vehicle and tried to bash his brains in. If I'm being completely, totally honest, the only person I trust right now on this RV is Casey. I don't know if I want to stick around where I feel so unsafe." She ladled some soup into a bowl and walked to the back of the RV where Donnie was currently tending to Casey's wounds. He'd heard the entire conversation and was doing his best to not cry.

"I'll take over now, thanks Donnie." April smiled warmly as she took a seat on the bed. Donnie nodded and stood up to walk back into the main area.

"By the way, April… I hope you know I am trying the best I can to make sure Casey will recover. I… I would never hurt him." He said quietly.

April merely nodded, then told him to shut the door on his way out because she wanted to be alone.

Leo was seated at the table now, trying not to feel awkward with the tension surrounding them all. He promised himself he'd go meditate in the morning to clear his head. That's all he needed, really. "You know you haven't had a fever or anything, Donnie. You're going to live." He said when he saw Donnie leaning against the bathroom door, holding a hand over his mouth.

"Bah, living, dying, what does it matter? We're all going to die eventually. Usagi is dead, Splinter is dead, Mikey will die, I'll die, and you too. It's inevitable." Donnie lulled his head to the side to stare at his younger brother who'd been watching from the reclining chair. "Were you there when Usagi died, Mikey?"

Mikey was taken aback by the question. His lips moved into a big frown. "Yeah… I was. He told me to run… we were covered by a huge horde and he fought them off so I could escape. I didn't want to leave him, but he insisted." Mikey clenched his shaking fist, looking away. "Before he died, he talked about how I should be more like you, Leo. Said you were very honorable and he admired you for that."

"I'm nothing but a lost soul trying to find his way through a crappy world." Leo sighed. "I don't want to talk about him anymore right now. It's bad karma to speak of the dead."

"Yeah… bad karma." Mikey murmured, fixing himself a bowl of food. "So… when will we start moving? Tonight? Tomorrow?" He tapped his fingers against the counter nervously, stuck with the irrational fear that Usagi had somehow managed to survive and was on his way to get revenge at that very moment.

"We'll leave at dawn. Everyone could use a good night's sleep." Leo responded, glancing at Donnie. "Come eat, you need to."

"So now you're controlling when I eat, too? I may be sick, but I don't need you hovering over me. I can take care of myself." Donnie's tone was suddenly hostile and completely uncalled for. Leo simply invited him to eat, that's all. "You are keeping a psychopath among our group and haven't even bothered asking Mikey exactly _how_ the situation of Usagi's death came about. You're being stupid, Leo!" He exploded, storming to the front of the RV.

Mikey's mouth hung open. "Are you implying that I killed Usagi?" Technically, he didn't… but leaving him for dead was good enough.

"I didn't say it, you did," Donnie narrowed his eyes. "April's right about not trusting us. Hell, I don't trust any of you." Paranoia had successfully taken over Donnie's brain. Now, he was speaking pure madness. "I mean, who's to say one of you isn't going to kill me in my sleep, because you don't want me to get to Camp David? Or what if you're leading me into a trap right now?!"

"Donnie!" Leo stood, voice raised. "Shut up! Have you gone mad?!"

"You're all going to _die_ and you want me to go first!" Donnie opened a cabinet, specifically the one where they kept the guns. "Well… you're right. I don't deserve to live in this bloody world. I deserve to be _dead_ , just like Usagi!" He took out a revolver, starting to load it. Mikey and Leo didn't dare come any closer in fear of being shot.

"Donnie… please put that down. We need you." Mikey smiled warmly, intense fear in his eyes. "We need you to save the world, buddy…"

"If I can't save it, you all will kill me, right?" Donnie whispered, cocking the gun. "So I end up dead either way. Dead, dead, dead… Splinter's dead… Usagi is dead… Casey is dead… Donnie will be dead too." The sudden referral to himself in third person was only making the situation more alarming.

Mikey opened the RV door while Donnie continued blabbering on about who would soon be dead because of him. He spotted Raph not too far from the RV. "Raphie… I need you to do us a favor. Can you hurry? It's an emergency…"

Needless to say, Leo wasn't exactly pleased at Raph's sudden punch to the back of Donnie's head with the butt of his sai, but it shut him up. The medication Donnie was currently on could give him hallucinations and make him delusional. That's all the current situation was… or at least they hoped.

Raph and Mikey sat in the booths, watching Leo tend to their slightly bruised and unconscious brother.

"Leo… we can't bring him to that camp while he's a delusional mess. He can't make a cure right now." Raph was currently making a friendship bracelet in boredom, too completely unamused to even care about why he was making the pink and orange beaded bracelet in the first place.

"It's too risky staying out on the road, so what else can we do? We've got Casey… he needs help. They both do. Maybe this place we're going to has something…" Leo said in a gentle tone as he noticed Donnie was starting to wake up again.

Donnie's eyes fluttered open and he opened his mouth slightly, rubbing his head. "Did you catch the number on that bus that hit me?" He formed a small smile.

The three turtles sighed in relief, and Leo practically fell over Donnie, hugging him carefully. "We're so worried about you. We don't know what to do…"

"Why are you worried? What… did I do something?" Donnie glanced over at Raph, seeing his pitiful expression. "Raph..?"

"Just get some rest, Donnie. You're okay, you just had an outburst, but it's alright, little brother." Raphael walked over to the pullout bed. "We are going to get you all fixed up soon enough."

"But what did I do?" Donnie asked softly, voice barely above a whisper. He glanced up at Leo, sensing tension. "Leo…"

"We're going to be splitting up for a few days. Some of us are going ahead and the rest will find a place to make camp." Leo's voice was shaking, but he was confident on the solution to the current situation. Donnie couldn't go on like this. And if the camp he wanted to go to wasn't there? The inventor would lose it completely. It was too risky.  
"Raph, you, Mikey and I are going to take the RV and follow the map to where this camp may be. Donnie, you will stay behind and help April take care of Casey. He needs proper shelter, so we'll find some place secure for the three of you. If we're not back in three days… follow the map and come for us."

Donnie wanted to protest. He wanted to fight Leo and scream and say how stupid of an idea that was… but he knew the leader was right. They couldn't all go on at such a slow rate like this. It just wouldn't work.

Two hours later, Raphael stopped the RV in front of an abandoned and fenced house in a quiet neighborhood. This would be the place. Leo searched through the place and unfortunately knew nobody would be coming in as he found the owner dead in the garage. He moved the body to the basement and locked that door, keeping the key with him. But other than that minor misfortune, the house was immaculate and decently stocked with food and supplies. There even was a generator for power. This would do quite nicely.

Leo helped April bring Casey to the master bedroom. Jones looked terrible, and had yet to wake up. What would happen if he… didn't make it?  
"April… if he turns…" Leo spoke incredibly slowly, dreading her reaction. "You have to take care of it. You know that, right?"

April nodded, eyes trailing the walls. "I know. But he's going to be okay."

"I really hope so. If things go south, Donnie has a way of contacting us, but please don't worry about anything other than him. Everything's going to be alright…"

Donnie listened by the door, clinging to the handle. Raph had told him that he was in charge and that he couldn't panic. He needed to be strong and take care of things no matter what happened. How comforting.

When Leo left the room, Donnie followed him, still having quite a few questions on his mind. "What happens if you three don't make it, Leo? What the hell am I supposed to do then?" His voice cracked with each word spoken. He didn't know what else he could ask at this point.

Leo froze, facing away from him as he took a moment to come up with an answer. "Then… you keep fighting. Promise me you won't give up no matter what happens. You're going to save us, Donnie. I know you will."

"What good will that be if you die?" Donnie blurted out, grabbing Leo's arm before he could walk away. He changed his tone, relaxing his grip. "If you're not here… if you die… if all of you are gone, then I have no point of being alive. I'd rather die than be alone."

"You told me you didn't want this. You didn't want me. Please don't attach yourself to a person when death is so inevitable." Leo's lips were just inches away… he could… if he could just summon up the courage to…

"Yes, well… sometimes having someone to live and fight for makes all the difference." Donnie pulled Leonardo into a tight embrace, closing his eyes. Now wasn't the time to get emotional, but here he was nearly crying anyway. "Just don't die okay?"

"Donnie…" What could he say? _I won't die, I promise_ couldn't possibly work as there was never a guarantee of living when the world was ending. All he could do was return the tight hug, promising to do his best to survive. "I'll turn on my walkie tonight at 7. If there's any problems, you can reach me there, okay? I have to go."  
_

Leo walked out of the house and back to the RV where Raph and Mikey were impatiently waiting. "Well… that took long enough." Raph muttered, opening the door. "A simple 'goodbye' would've worked too, Fearless."

"Yeah, but I had to get information about just where the heck we're going, Raph, so shut up. We're looking for a man by the name of Zayton Honeycutt. He's middle-aged and has an accent. If he's still alive and this camp is real, we'll be set. If he's dead… we're screwed." Leo started the vehicle, glancing at the map and the location Donnie had circled.

"What kind of name is Zayton Honeycutt anyway?" Mikey sat down in the reclining chair, turning on his T-Phone to play a game on it. "Sounds a lot like Satan. Would you trust a Satan just because Donnie told you to?"

"If Donnie thinks this guy can help us, then absolutely." Leo responded in a serious tone. "He wouldn't lead us into disaster, now would he?"

"No, but you might," Raphael said under his breath.

"Excuse me?" The leader turned to him. "Would you rather sit back there and die?"

"Look, all I'm saying is this could be a major trap. Or something could go incredibly south and we'll all get eaten. Then Donnie won't be able to get there and the world will be destroyed. We should be taking him along and leaving the humans behind." The red-clad ninja gripped onto his seat in attempts to keep his temper under control.

"You saw how he was like, Raphael. He wouldn't make it if he stayed with us."  
_

Donnie waited for the big grandfather clock in the hall to strike seven before turning on his T-Phone. With limited battery and service, he had to be careful with how many calls he made. His brothers had only left a few hours ago and yet it had seemed like a hundred years. There wasn't much to do in this big old house other than stare at the walls and read romantic literature, which Donnie wasn't really in the mood for at the moment. He wanted to be with his family.

"Oh, wow, this thing actually works!" Came a chipper voice on the other end of the phone, but it wasn't who he wanted to speak with.  
"Mikey?"

"Yep. Hi Donnie! How's it going on the homefront? Whatever that means."

"Um… things are alright I guess. Where's Leo?" Donnie leaned against the wall, certain that Leo must be hurt already and the plan had failed miserably. Leo was simply accident prone.

"He's driving right now. We're like 80 miles away from you! Why do you want to talk to him so badly anyway, he's not _that_ interesting." Mikey chattered on and on, nearly giving Donnie another headache.

"Look, I'm just checking in, Mikey. I don't have enough battery to keep talking… have a good night, okay? Tell Leo to call me at dawn."

"Or I could call you at dawn! Since I'm way more interesting than Hero-Boy, you know… he is way too serious."

"Mikey, I have to go. Make sure you tell him." Donnie quickly hung up, breathing out. Well… he had no reason to stay awake any longer and falling asleep wouldn't be as difficult with the sleeping pills he found in the pantry. He just needed to check in on April a final time and see if she needed any help with Casey.

Donnie gently knocked on the master bedroom door. "April, can I come in?"  
"I don't see why not…" April responded on the other side of the door.

Donnie slowly entered the room, taking in the dim surroundings. Casey, as bruised as ever, hadn't moved even slightly since they'd put him there, but he was breathing at a steadier rate now.

"Do you want me to take a look at him?" He asked his exhausted-looking friend. "I can see if anything's changed…"

"Actually, no, Donnie, what you _can_ do is give me the keys to the car. There's a camp thirty miles from here, for humans, obviously. I'm taking him there right now to get proper medical treatment." April's expression was cold and heartless. She didn't think Donnie was of any use. "Hand them over."

"But… Leo said we need to stick together…" Donnie said quietly, clutching the keys in his hand.

"I don't care what Leo said! Leo isn't the boss of me." April snatched the keys away in anger. "Help me get him to the car."


End file.
